system sounds like junk

ok guys.. i know this is not an amazing system or anything but its a good enough one for me!
im trying to just run a kicker L5 sub off my kenwood Kac-x521.. i have tried adjusting most the settings on my amp and my deck (cdx-m8810) but it always sounds to be distorted.. i know it will always ratel.. but its not jsut teh ratteling .. it is very distorted.. im woundering if anyone wud be able to help me get this system sounding good!!

I like it to be very bassy but i dont want the bass to make it hard to hear the treble.. but that can be tweaked after if u guys all help this thing sound beter!

Thanks a lot!!

What kind of enclosure is the sub mounted in?  Did you set the amplifier gain properly?  Is the bass boost turned OFF?  Where is the crossover set?

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im not sure man.. the sub is mounted in a custom kicker enclosure built specifically for the sub..

i dont know how to set the amp. gain.. im not sure how to set the bass boost (i assume thats in my deck and i can easily do that), and im not sure what the crossover set ur talking about it

Thanks tho and hopefully u can help me get her sounding good!

Sounds to me like it's time to go visit your friendly neighborhood car stereo installer.  Take the car to a good local independent car stereo store (not a chain store like Best Buy) and pay them for a half-hours labor to set things up properly.  It'll be money well spent, and if you ask you may be able to watch and learn.  Plus you'll develop good contacts with a pro who can help you with purchases, etc. in the future.

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ya.. theres no real installers around here actually.. the closest is about an hour away and thats a futureshop.. i was asked by a pawnshop if i wanted to install sterio systems in cars after he saw the work i did on my install.. I declined due to school and that i didn't really wanna do work on new cars with security features that i wud need to get around!

i wud really like to learn this stuff myself.. so if u could just help me get it setup this time then i will know for future system setups!!

Thanks a lot..

You should'nt  always avoid the big box stores ( Best Buy ,  Circuit City ). I have worked for both independent and also at a big box store where i currently work.  The quality of work we are required do here is far better than any of the Installs I or anyone I worked with did in the other shops.  It Just depends on the Installer.

The problem with car stereo installers is they don't get paid crap, so finding one that does good work is sometimes difficult. Find a friend that does it. I recently helped a friend wire up a stereo for a boat, and the wiring we did in that is 10x better than the wiring the boat came with. Like I said, ask around, and either find a friend, or find someone that gives a damn.

-Drew

can anyone help me get this working by myself.. i like learning..

Ok, first off for setting the gain,a  quick search of this site will reveal how to set the amp gain using a digital multimeter, its been covered many times and this site has some excelent tutorials about it. As for your other problem, that sub is a dual voice coil and it sounds like a coil is wired out of phase. Double check that the coils are wired together properly.

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

are there any diagrams for wiring a dual voice coil sub.. i bought it from a guy who seemed to know what he was doing.. but i havent talked to him in awhile cuz he lives in a different province!

https://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/woofer_configurations.asp

the sub is wired in correctly.. any other ideas?

eaks]t wrote:

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e sub is wired in correctly.. any other ideas?

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Did you get your gain set properly?

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Gotta ask: you do have an amplifier besides the internal amplifier in the head unit, right? I only ask because I have had this same question and solution in my bay before, so I thought I should ask......

if u read the original post it says i am running a kenwood amp to power these.. its an aftermarket amp that pushes 508rms at 2ohm..

I will check the gain tomarrow!

he said his subs's running off a kenwood Kac-x521amp,  which is plenty for that sub (around 500 rms x 1 @ 4 ohms) now here's a quesiton is it dual voice coil or single? i know most are wondering why i ask but i don't know if that amps capable of running 2 ohms mono, and if it's a dual voice coils sub makeing the amp run at 2 ohms, it could be driving the amp harder then it's designed. just my 2 cents worth. and never saw it mentiond

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Tri County KustomZ
certified installer

really no idea man.. its an L5 solo kicker 12".. i believe its dual voice coils but im not possitive!

Yes im positive it is dual voice coils...but dual 2 or dual 4 is the next question.